Bill Text: HI HCR160 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Celebrating The Ties Between Hawaii And The Freely Associated States And Urging The President Of The United States And United States Congress To Appoint A Lead Negotiator To Revitalize And Finalize The Stalled Renegotiation Of The Compacts Of Free Association Prior To The Compacts' Expiration.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-29 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Eli, Todd, Woodson, Yamane excused (4). [HCR160 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2022-HCR160-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
160 |
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THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
CELEBRATING THE TIES BETWEEN HAWAI‘I AND THE FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES AND URGING THE president of the united states and united states congress to appoint A LEAD NEGOTIATOR TO REVITALIZE AND FINALIZE the STALLED RENEGOTIATION OF THE COMPACTs Of FREE ASSOCIATION PRIOR TO the compacts' EXPIRATION.
WHEREAS, the fifty-five immigrants from Micronesia who arrived aboard The Stormbird in 1877 were some of the first plantation labor migrants to Hawai‘i; and
WHEREAS, historians note that the number of Micronesian migrants brought to work on plantations increased to over fifteen hundred in the next few years; and
WHEREAS, King Kalākaua and Queen Kapi‘olani regularly invited Micronesian chiefs and community leaders to birthday celebrations and events at ‘Iolani Palace as a sign of appreciation and hospitality; and
WHEREAS, the geographical and anthropological description of Micronesia is a western categorization of Pacific Island communities, and the term does not fully capture the complex and diverse nature of the cultures in the region; and
WHEREAS, the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) are international agreements between the United States of America and the independent nation states of the Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Federated States of Micronesia, collectively known as the Freely Associated States; and
WHEREAS, the federal government estimates that there are currently over twenty-five thousand COFA migrants living in Hawai‘i; and
WHEREAS, COFA migrants contribute to the vibrancy of indigenous cultural practices in the State, helping to keep native cultural traditions alive in the modern day as best illustrated by the late Mau Piailug of Satawal and his entire genealogy, whose contributions of their own traditional ocean navigation resulted in a cultural revolution for Native Hawaiians to reconnect with a part of their culture that was in danger of being lost; and
WHEREAS, citizens from the Freely Associated States volunteer to serve in the United States Armed Forces at per capita rates higher than citizens in most states; and
WHEREAS, despite these hardships and challenges, COFA migrants participate in economic activities by providing labor, consuming goods and services, and paying fees and taxes to the government, such as an estimated contribution of $336,200,000 to the Hawai‘i Gross Domestic Product in 2017; and
WHEREAS, COFA island families and individuals residing in these countries should be fairly treated in recognition of their contributions and the special and unique relationship between the Freely Associated States and United States; and
WHEREAS, the area in which the Freely Associated States are located is incredibly strategic, lying directly on the way from the United States to Asia and Australia, and whoever controls those waters controls American access to the entire Indo-Pacific region; and
WHEREAS, these states were all integral to the Allied victory in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, with the Gilbert, Marshall, Mariana, and Palau Island campaigns serving as the first steps in the drive across the central Pacific by the United States Pacific Command; and
WHEREAS, these victories were crucial in neutralizing Japanese bases in the central Pacific, supporting the Allied drive to retake the Philippines, and providing bases for a strategic bombing campaign against Japan; and
WHEREAS, the People's Republic of China has aggressively sought to expand their influence in the Pacific through investment and economic assistance to the region; and
WHEREAS, COFA allows the United States to operate armed forces in the Freely Associates States and utilize land for operating bases and, in turn, guarantees that the United States is responsible for protecting these affiliate countries; and
WHEREAS, the United States provides these countries access to many of the United States' domestic programs, including disaster response and recovery programs under the Federal Emergency Management Agency; some United States Department of Education programs including the Pell Grant; services provided by the National Weather Service, United States Postal Service, Federal Aviation Administration, and Federal Communications Commission; and United States representation to the International Frequency Registration Board of the International Telecommunication Union; and
WHEREAS, the financial provisions of the Compacts with the Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of the Marshall Islands are set to expire in 2023; and
WHEREAS, the financial provisions of the Compact with the Republic of Palau is set to expire in 2024; and
WHEREAS, negotiations were anticipated to be completed by the end of 2020 but have stalled and remain incomplete; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the Senate concurring, that this body recognizes the contributions and accomplishments of the COFA community in Hawai‘i and the broader United States of America; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body condemns racial or cultural discrimination, violence, and defamation against COFA citizens; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body recognizes the geo-strategic importance of these nations to the national security of the United States and Hawaii against foreign adversaries, particularly in light of current aggressive and illegal posturing and exertion of influence by the People's Republic of China in the region; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body urges the President of the United States and United States Congress to appoint a lead negotiator to revitalize and finalize the stalled negotiations of the Compacts of Free Association before any portion of those compacts expire; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body respectfully requests the United States Congress to continue to support economic and scientific assistance to the Freely Associated States; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body urges the Governor to implement programs and training to combat discrimination against Pacific Island communities, including expanding language access and countering bullying against COFA students in public schools; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Minority Leader of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, United States Secretary of State, United States Secretary of Defense, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, members of Hawai‘i's congressional delegation, Governor, Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, Director of Health, Director of Public Safety, Interim Superintendent of Education, Chairperson to the Hawaii Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Chief Executive Officer of We Are Oceania, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Chair of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Center for Pacific Island Studies, President of the East-West Center, President of the Pacific Forum, Director of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and heads of state and Consulate Generals of the Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Federated States of Micronesia.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Compacts of Free Association; Freely Associated States; Recognition; Negotiation
